The pilot who died on Thursday from his injuries in the crash of a Breezy aircraft at Oshkosh has been identified as James Oeffinger, 75, of Versailles, Kentucky. His passenger, Jennifer Woloszyk, 21, of Elmhurst, Illinois, remains in serious condition. The crash of the custom-built airplane occurred at 9 a.m. on Thursday while attempting to land on the east side of Wittman Regional Airport. Officials from the FAA and NTSB who were based on the field for AirVenture immediately began to investigate the accident in conjunction with airport and local law enforcement officials, as well as the Winnebago County Coroner’s Office, EAA’s Dick Knapinski said on Friday afternoon. The NTSB is leading the investigation into the accident.
Air operations at Wittman Regional Airport were halted for a little more than an hour immediately after the accident on Thursday, but resumed in part by late Thursday morning and fully resumed by early that afternoon. According to an Associated Press story on Friday, the airplane caught fire on impact but the flames were quickly extinguished by Wittman Field emergency responders. EAA officials told the AP both victims appeared to be conscious when they were taken to the hospital.
